The Time Without
by frotesque
Summary: Danny and Valerie are officially in control over their lives. The Guys in White give them the jurisdiction they need to be more effective than ever before, Jack and Maddie continue to prove their genius with incredible innovations in ghost hunting equipment, and our heroes are in love. In summary, Clockwork can't help but feel bad about what has to happen next...


**This happened completely by accident. I really was on the fence about a sequel because I wasn't sure about the interest and blah blah blah but alas, here it is. As it were, I have also already planned this entire story (Yay!) and now I just have to make it happen. For the record, this story I have planned here is probably twice as intense as the last one, and I'm sure you'll feel that right away. Let's roll!**

* * *

"What are you working on?"

Danny didn't turn at the sound of Valerie's voice. He mumbled a reply as he continued measuring and cutting wire. The small worktable he hunched over was covered with component parts and small tools.

She huffed at the non-response before peeking over his shoulder so she could see for herself. It was useless, of course. She wouldn't know what all of the mechanical junk spread out before him was anyway.

"Well, if you decide you want a break, I ordered you some food."

"I'll eat." He replied, though he made no move to detach himself from his work.

Valerie rolled her eyes. Danny had this tendency to hyper-focus when he was working on prototypes, and it was nearly impossible to pull him away from his work short of there being a particularly pressing paranormal threat. Even then, depending on the ghost, he would let Valerie take it herself.

She didn't necessarily mind doing so, but at this point, she had grown so used to working with him that she found herself bored taking care of the situation on her own. Finally Danny sighed, stretching and groaning as his back popped. He looked over at Valerie.

"Okay, I'm done. Let's eat." He stood, shaking out one of his legs as he did so.

Valerie led the way up the stairs. "So do you want to tell me what you were working on? In English this time, if possible."

He laughed. "Sorry. It's for my parents. They just got commissioned by this ghost hunting agency in Berlin to make some customized weaponry, but they are also supposed to have a working prototype of this containment device for one of their research sponsors in a few days. Apparently there's this new social movement calling for the humane treatment of 'spectral entities', and my parents don't have much in the way of cages that don't have some nasty surprise included." Danny's active role in his parents' business was the main reason he still lived in FentonWorks.

Valerie smirked, walking into the kitchen and handing him his box of takeout. "Ghost activism, huh? Sounds like your kind of people."

Danny shrugged, pulling out a couple forks from the silverware drawer and handing one to Valerie. They stood on either side of the island as they ate. It was a strange quirk, but they both tended to get so wrapped up in whatever conversation they were having that they forget they have a perfectly functional table and chairs. "Yeah, I mean, I get the idea. Ghosts are sentient. They don't deserve torture or experimentation. I'm just not so certain that these people know exactly what they're dealing with."

Valerie swallowed the food in her mouth before frowning at him. "I don't follow. How so?"

Danny shrugged again. "Well… Ghosts aren't exactly _rational_ beings. They care about revenge and energy, and that's about it. I just worry that these groups might end up forgetting that and start up some kind of co-existence campaign." Danny watched as Valerie reached into the bag and pulled out a container. "Did they give you extra sauce?"

"I got one for you too." She said, pulling out the other container and handing it to him. "You really think these people would want that? I mean, do they not know there's no really such thing as co-existence for ghosts?"

Danny snorted, smothering his meal with extra sauce. "Most people don't interact with ghosts as much as you and I. Hell, even the greater population of Amity has more experience than I imagine any of these guys have with ghosts in person. That's exactly why I'm worried. I mean, hanging out with Sam for so many years, I've interacted with my fair share of social activism groups. She used to get frustrated because a lot of the people in these groups weren't well informed or even that angry, they just wanted to appear knowledgeable and empathetic. I'm sure plenty of those types would be willing to jump onboard with ghost rights."

"So why are you guys even building this thing?" Valerie reached over and plucked a piece of chicken from Danny's box.

He glared at her playfully, pulling his box closer to his chest. "You have your own you monster. And we're building it because there's nothing wrong with passive containment, per se, but we're watching this movement very closely. Luckily, we're still pretty much the only name in anti-ghost tech, so we stay pretty up and up on the 'market trends'."

Valerie hummed. "And what's the plan for if it does get out of hand?"

"Well," Danny absently began playing with the food on his plate, "That's kind of the question. I mean, these are human people and let's face it, we all are far more specialised in _violent_ conflict resolution. This kind of thing would take… Well, politics probably. Not my area."

"What about Tucker? He was mayor for like, 3 days?"

"Pfft, you and I both know that title was superficial. Tucker wanted that instead of a medal of honor because he thought it would attract 'babes'."

Valerie quirked a brow, a smile tugging at her lips. "Did it?"

Danny laughed. "No, not at all. Plus, he and Abha just got married. I'm trying to let him enjoy his nice, normal life. Sam too, for that matter."

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Oh please, they'd be happy to help you – us - if it came down to it."

"If it comes to that, sure. In the meantime, I'm just going to build this thing, get a nice paycheck from my parents for it, and, I don't know, take you on a real date somewhere nice?" He raised his brows at her, phrasing the last bit of his statement as a question.

Valerie blinked at him. "We go on real dates."

He shrugged, gaze falling to his food. "I mean, yeah, but they're always kind of last minute or rushed or _interrupted_. I swear the fucking portal _knows_ when we just want to spend some time together."

Valerie giggled. "I mean, yeah, but that's why it's so great that it's _us_. Who else could I date that understands that sometimes I have to go deal with some ghosts?"

Danny grinned. "Are you telling me that the only reason you're in this relationship is because we have similar scheduling conflicts?"

"Well, that's as good a reason as any. And you're not bad looking either."

"Small bonus." He glanced behind her at the clock on the stove. "Damn. I've got to get back to work on this stupid thing. What are you getting into for the rest of the day?"

"Patrolling alone, I guess." She hadn't meant that to sound so pitiful.

Danny frowned, guilt clear on his face. "I'm sorry baby, I know it's boring and sucks." He walked around the counter to pull her into his arms. "This is why I want to do something nice for you. I feel like I've been the worst sidekick ever lately."

Valerie smiled up at him. "You have. But it's okay, you can make it up to me later. I know your work is important. Plus, you always help me out when the Guys overload me with stuff." She pulled his head down so she could plant a kiss on his cheek. "I can patrol alone. I'll call if there's anything I can't handle." She moved to pull away, then stopped to press her lips against his. "And _finish_ this stupid thing so I can have you all to myself again."

Danny laughed. "I will. Be careful out there, please." He said, squeezing her gently before letting go and walking back towards the basement.

She smirked at him. "When am I ever not careful?"

He shot her a dark look. "I mean it, Val."

She waved a hand at him. "Yeah, yeah, no worries. I told you, I'll call if I need your help."

He seemed satisfied with that, nodding once before disappearing down the stairs.

* * *

Patrol was just as boring as Valerie had anticipated.

There was minimal activity, nothing she couldn't handle. In fact, it was kind of a slow night. Valerie never wished for catastrophe, since that would mean civilian casualties and property damage, but she kind of figured _someone_ would be in the mood for a decent fight. She sighed as she turned the corner on one of the last few blocks she hadn't covered yet.

She'd be finished soon enough, then she could get back to bothering her boyfriend. He'd have to find a stopping point for the night eventually. The thought was distracting enough for Valerie to almost miss the satellite falling right above her. Almost.

She made a sharp turn, dodging the projectile easily. She righted herself a moment later, mask sliding into place as she whipped out her favorite ecto-pistol. Her eyes narrowed at the culprit.

"Cute. It's going to take more than a little bad luck to crush me though." She fired off several shots, though she didn't expect much for results.

Just as she anticipated, the shadow simply smirked at her, body morphing easily to allow the shots to fly right through it harmlessly.

"Your owner around?" She asked, tracking its erratic movements but unwilling to waste any more shots on the slippery ghost.

"He's not my pet," The voice was accompanied by the loud growling of a motorcycle engine, "He's my friend." Johnny 13 and Kitty blinked into existence, and Valerie absently wondered how her sensors had missed him.

She didn't waiver in her aim, though she was certainly ready to shoot whoever moved first.

"Hey baby, it looks like she's all alone," Kitty smirked, tightening her grip around his waist. "Phantom finally dump you?"

Valerie could've rolled her eyes. She almost felt sorry for the ghostly woman. Danny had a theory that she was so dependent on Johnny because they died together. The thought kind of horrified her, and she found herself sorry for the woman who had to spend eternity stuck in the mind frame of a teenager in the throes of her first love.

"Phantom may not be here now, but you all know how fast he can fly. I'm giving you the chance to leave peacefully." Even as she spoke, Valerie slowly moved to send him a distress signal. It had been Tucker's Christmas gift to them. Now either of them could alert the other with a press of a button in their suits.

Johnny pretended to inspect his nails. "I hope you aren't trying to contact him. Shadow wiped out your electronics."

Valerie's eyes widened at that. That explains how he made it past her sensors. The shadow smiled at her again before disappearing. She tightened her grip on her gun, cycling through the visual spectrum modes on her visor. She had several settings, many of which would allow her to see her enemies even if they weren't visible. It was no use, Shadow had truly knocked out everything.

She tightened her grip on her gun, eyes darting around for any sign of Johnny's shadow. Bad luck indeed. Her board wobbled underneath her feet. She looked down, fearing the worst. It glowed a bright green, telling her everything she needed to know.

She watched as Shadow flew out of the surface to float right in front of her. It gave her a cheeky wave before flying back down to Johnny and rejoining the smirking ghost. Her board sputtered before going dark. She felt the electric magnets in her boots disengage, and then she was falling.

This was bad, and she knew, _knew_ Danny would blame himself for her death. All she could do was hope that he had noticed the tracking on her board had gone dark back at home.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, she felt strong arms wrap around her and slow her decent. She breathed a sigh of relief when she opened her eyes to see a broad chest, the 'DP' logo displayed proudly across the front.

"Oh Danny, I thought I was done." She breathed, looking up at her boyfriend.

Except it wasn't him.

"Danny?" The stranger smirked down at her. "I haven't heard that name in a long time."

Valerie blinked up at him. He _looked_ like Danny, if Danny had suddenly up and died recently. "And who the _fuck_ are you?"

He laughed at that, hair that looked like white fire flickering as if it was amused too. "Ah Valerie, that mouth of yours seems to be consistent through all timelines."

She had no clue what this guy was going on about, but before she could ask him for clarification – and maybe for him to put her down – a disembodied voice called over the whole scene.

"TIME OUT!"

A moment later, Valerie felt something heavy tug at her neck. She blinked. The entire world was _frozen_. She looked down at her new accessory. The simple ribbon sported a gold medallion, the letters 'CW' carved in elegant script across its surface.

"I wish we weren't meeting like this." The same voice that had called out was much quieter now, and right in front of her. Valerie looked up to see an old man floating there, kind smile on his wrinkled face.

She blinked at him. "Uh… Am I supposed to know who you are?" She realized suddenly that she was still being cradled in her strange savior's arms. "Hold that thought. Could we do introductions when I'm standing on my own two feet?"

The elderly ghost chuckled at that and held out a hand to her. She reached out and grabbed it, and he floated them both down to land gently on the grass.

"Thanks. So who are you, exactly?" She asked.

The ghost suddenly shifted, and Valerie found herself staring at a floating baby. Her eyes widened, but she kept her head. She was pretty used to ghosts doing weird shit in front of her at this point. He looked pleased at her calm demeanor.

"I am Clockwork. I'm not sure if Danny has ever told you about me?" Though from the tone of his voice, Valerie suspected that he was _very_ aware that Danny had told her about him.

"He's mentioned you a few times." She held out her hand to him, though she felt endlessly stupid to be giving a baby a polite handshake. "I'm Valerie. "

As he took her hand, his form morphed into that of a young man, around her and Danny's age. He smirked at her as he took the hand, bringing her knuckles to his mouth for a kiss. "Charmed. You're quite the young lady. Based on what Danny has told me and, of course, what I have seen for myself. It's no wonder he is so smitten." He released her hand.

Valerie couldn't help but feel a little warm at that. Clockwork frustrated Danny to no end, but she was well aware that he thought of him as a mentor, and he cared very deeply about the ghost's opinion of him. It was strangely flattering to know he had spoken so highly of her. "Well thank you. Not that I want to cut this introduction short or anything, but do you mind telling me what's going on? Starting with who he is?" She looked up at the frozen form of the ghost that had saved her. She was thankful for the rescue and all, but she was very curious as to why he was stealing her boyfriend's look.

Clockwork frowned up at him. "We had been observing your fight. When he saw you falling… Well, I tried to stop him, but he was too fast. I told him he wasn't supposed to interfere with the timelines."

Valerie quirked a brow. "Let me get this straight. You couldn't stop him, although from the looks of things you just completely stopped _time_ , and that's bad on him because he was supposed to let me die? _You_ were going to let me die." She crossed her arms over her chest.

Clockwork chuckled, morphing back to his elderly form. "Quick as a whip, aren't you? You've caught me. I told him he wasn't meant to interfere, yes, though I had no intention of letting you die. I simply wanted to see what he would do. It was a… Test, if you will. He passed with flying colors."

"Okay," Valerie said slowly, "So who is this guy anyway? Why do you need to test him? And why use me?"

Clockwork was silent for a moment, and she could see him debating mentally how much he ought to tell her. Finally, he spoke. "Has Daniel ever told you about an alternate timeline? One where he… lost his way?"

Valerie frowned. "Sure. He's mentioned it before. I've never gotten the gritty details though. I know he became… Evil." She looked back up at the imposter. Her eyes grew wide. "Oh… That's?"

Clockwork nodded.

"I thought he was, like, mentally unstable. Danny said you had him locked up tight." She fixed him with an accusatory glare. "You lied to him?"

"Yes and no. Dan Phantom has been locked up in my tower until recently. I saw a threat looming on the horizon, and I knew I needed to take steps to prevent a future even darker than that of Dan's timeline. I freed Dan and _convinced_ him to see my point of view." His smile was predatory.

Valerie frowned. "How does one _convince_ a megalomaniac to decide to be a good guy again?"

"I had to break him, of course." Clockwork shifted into his child form as he shrugged. "There are plenty of nasty dimensions that move outside of time where I could dole out punishment. Though it has been merely a decade or so to you, he has been undergoing extensive personality reconditioning for a century or two now."

Valerie's jaw dropped. "You-You've been torturing him? Are you insane?"

"Not at all, child." His expression was kind, though Valerie could sense a sharpness to his tone. "What you and Danny are far too young to understand is that my actions do not have to be good or evil. Everything I do is to preserve the future. This action was not one that I am proud of, but I did not hesitate for a moment in doing so if it meant saving not just this timeline, but several."

Valerie cocked her head. "Multiple timelines? What, exactly, is this threat? I mean, maybe Danny and I could help. Or at least Danny. I'm sure you know how strong he's gotten."

Clockwork frowned, becoming a young man once more. "Yes, I'm very aware. I can't ask Daniel for help because _he_ is the threat."

Valerie blinked at him, chest constricting. "What?" She breathed.

He sighed, face growing sad. "It is… Unfortunate to see. I quite like Daniel as well, you know. Which is why I am so desperate to stop this future before it can happen."

Valerie felt tears pooling in her eyes. "I just don't understand. Why? What could possibly push him over the edge like that?"

Clockwork was silent for a moment. "You."

" _What_?"

He nodded. "I thought his aging would be enough. And for the most part, I still believe it is. Should Daniel lose his friends or his parents _now_ , he will be devastated, sure, but it is highly unlikely he would lose his grip on his humanity. But if he were to lose _you_ … I've heard enough of how he feels about you. I've seen the futures. It would not be a loss he could come back from Valerie."

Valerie felt hot tears running down her face. "So… What do we do? I mean, how am I supposed to keep doing what I do if my death could mean the end of the world? My job is dangerous, I would've died today if Dan hadn't been here."

"I'm well aware, which is why I have assigned Dan as your guardian." He placed a hand on Valerie's shoulder. "I don't mean to scare you, child. For every future where you die and Daniel destroys all, there is another where you both live until you retire from your work and grow old together. With that being said, destruction of this magnitude is something I am not willing to risk. These are precautionary measures."

"Are, are you going to tell Danny? Don't you think he deserves to know?"

Clockwork raised a brow. "Do you not recall what happened last time Daniel perceived himself to be a threat? Not to mention, do you honestly believe he will allow you to continue fighting at his side should he know that I have seen you die?"

Valerie glared at him. "Danny isn't the one who _allows_ me to do anything." She deflated suddenly, burying her face in her hands. "You don't have to remind me. I know you're right, but this is _not_ something I want to keep from him."

Clockwork nodded. "I understand. Which is why I'll be erasing this conversation from existence."

Valerie stumbled backwards. "What? What do you mean?"

"I'll be turning time backwards, of course. This conversation will never have happened. No worries, this time I'll make sure you contact Daniel before being ambushed by Johnny 13."

Valerie shook her head. "No! You can't just do that!"

Clockwork floated closer to her, once again an old man. "Just as I said before child. I do what I must to protect the timeline." His hand whipped out with supernatural speed, grabbing the medallion around her neck. He smirked at her and tugged. "TIME IN!"

Valerie sighed as she turned the corner on one of the last few blocks she hadn't covered yet. She knew Danny was busy, but she was almost certain he could spare an hour or so to come help her finish out her patrol. Not to mention he'd have to reach a stopping point sooner or later. She pulled her phone from one of the pouches on her suit, went to her recent calls, and pressed Danny's name.

"Hey babe, everything okay?" His voice was mildly distracted, but calm since she had called his phone instead of sending out a distress signal.

Valerie smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. Do you wanna come finish the last little bit of this patrol with me? Please?"

He was quiet for a moment. "Yeah, sure. Where are you?"

"6th street. Thank you baby!"

Danny laughed. "Yeah, yeah. Stay put, I'll be there soon."

* * *

"You're angry." Clockwork said as he watched Dan pace.

"Yeah, I'm angry. How could you do that to Valerie?"

Clockwork frowned. "You have a medallion." It was phrased as a statement.

Dan pulled the medallion from the back of his belt and threw it so it clattered at Clockwork's feet. "Of course I do. Maybe everyone else is okay with your sick games, but not me. Why would you tell her everything just to wipe her a second later?"

Clockwork hummed, floating over to a gear and watching Danny and Valerie take on Johnny 13. "I wanted to see how she'd react. I have heard so much about her and her spirit from you and Daniel. I suppose I wanted to see it for myself." He smiled as the woman landed a vicious kick to Johnny's chest. "I understand now more than ever why you and Daniel love her."

Dan sputtered. "I don't- I don't have feelings for Valerie. She was my mortal enemy in my timeline."

Clockwork smirked over at him, shifting to his child form. "You must think I'm as naive as my appearance suggests. I watched you hesitate to kill her hundreds of times. You tore through whole populations, but somehow you could never defeat a single woman, standing alone against you to defend your old hometown?"

"Don't underestimate her. Valerie has always been an incredible fighter." His glare was dark and his hair flared with his anger.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Clockwork assured him. "I was only making an observation. I am glad to see you are so keen on keeping her safe."

Dan growled at the other ghost. "You're sick, you know?"

"Are you implying that you would prefer your past punishment?" Clockwork raised a brow.

Dan ground his teeth. "Of course not. I'd rather watch her be happy with that idiot than suffer endless torment again."

Clockwork nodded. "Good, because you will be watching them and keeping her safe until I feel Daniel is no longer a threat."

"You should have destroyed me." Dan ground out through clenched teeth.

Clockwork whirled around, though he remained the picture of complete calm. "No. That would be too merciful an end for you Dan Phantom. You are lucky I took it upon myself to deal out your punishment. The Council would not have been so kind."

With that, he turned away, leaving Dan to watch Valerie pull Danny in for a celebratory kiss.

* * *

 **Alrighty folks, you know the drill! I'd also like to go ahead and be honest, there's a lot of characters who will be playing a lot of interesting roles in this story, so it probably won't be quite as Danny and Val centric as the last instalment. Or at least that's how I have it planned. Anyway, I do want to ask if you would prefer that Danny and Valerie are just as heavily involved or if you wouldn't mind a little more shifting around. Please drop a review letting me know if you do have a strong opinion, and if not, then I hope you enjoy the adventure I have for you!**


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